Passover Recipes Part 1

Matzo Ball Soup with a Middle-Eastern Twist

For this recipe, you can start with your favorite box of Matzo Ball mix and add the additional seasonings, or you can follow this home made recipe (which I found here and kicked up with my own flavors):

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons vegetable stock
1/2 cup unsalted matzo meal
1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
1/2-1 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1-1/2 tsp. cumin

1-1/2 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional for some spice)

Stir together eggs, butter or oil, and vegetable stock in a small bowl. Add the matzo meal, parsley, dill salt, and remaining seasonings. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 8 hours. Bring a large pot of water or vegetable stock to boil over high heat; add a dash of salt. Using wet hands, form the dough into 12 1-inch balls. Drop the balls, one at a time, into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Matzo balls should be plump, tender and cooked through. Add Matzo balls to 6 cups of soup broth, recipe follows (you can make this while the Matzo balls cook):

6 cups vegetable stock or No-Chicken broth
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in a large pot with olive oil, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cumin, then add broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and green onions and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Here's a re-post of some of last year's recipes, sure to please at your Passover seder:

Brisket (Pot Roast) with Root Vegetables

2-3 lbs. first cut brisket (ask for this at the meat counter)

1 package organic, all natural onion soup mix (I use Simply Organic brand)

2-3 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks (or about a dozen baby carrots)

2 parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks

1-2 small yukon gold potatoes, cubed

1 medium bulb fennel, sliced

4-5 garlic cloves

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1-2 rips celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups or 12-14 oz. ketchup

3/4 bottle good red wine 

2 tbs. cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt or to taste

1 bayleaf

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1/8th tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. In a dutch oven or large, oval, oven-safe baking disk, put down a layer of vegetables. Season the meat with some salt and pepper and place over the veggie layer. Scatter remaining veggies around the meat. Sprinkle soup mix and ketchup over everything, then add the wine (the vegetables should be covered). Sprinkle in cocoa powder and cinnamon, then add bayleaf. Distribute peeled garlic cloves around the dish. Give a stir to combine the spices and liquid. Cover dish with lid or aluminum foil and put into the oven. Check meat for doneness after about an hour. Make sure there is enough liquid - you can add a little water or stock if it has dried out. Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes to reduce remaining liquid. Meat should be fork-tender. Slice the meat and serve with sauce and vegetables.

Yemenite Haroset

4-6 apples, peeled and cut into quarters (I like to use Granny Smith, Macintosh, or another type of firm, sweet-tart apple)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup dried dates and/or 1 cup dried prunes
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
3 tbs. sugar
1/8th tsp. ground ginger
1 tbs. cinnamon
1/8th tsp. ground cloves
pinch of salt
½-1 cup sweet grape wine (Manischewitz)
Juice of one lemon

In a food processor, pulse apple quarters until coarsely chopped.
In a large bowl, combine all dried fruits, nuts, sugar, and spices and mix thoroughly. Add apples, wine, and lemon juice. Add more sugar if needed. Stir to combine. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.

Coconut Macaroons Two Ways

Makes up to 30 cookies

Ingredients:
14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut
10 oz. kosher mini-marshmallows or marshmallow fluff (kosher for Passover)*
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 extra large egg whites
¼ tsp. kosher salt

* substitute 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk instead of marshmallows for a non-strict kosher recipe

For Chocolate Macaroons:
¼ cup cocoa powder (kosher for Passover) or ¼ cup semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips (melted in the microwave for 40-50 seconds)

Preheat oven to 325°.
Put marshmallows in microwave-safe bowl. Heat 40-50 seconds or until melted (continuing in 20 second intervals if they need more time). Combine melted marshmallows (or sweetened condensed milk) and vanilla in a large bowl with the shredded coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and salt with an electric hand mixer until it forms medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold egg whites into coconut mixture.
Using a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons, drop rounds of the coconut batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Reserve half of the batter for chocolate macaroons if desired.

For chocolate macaroons:
Add either cocoa powder or melted chips to remaining coconut batter and stir to combine.

Bake macaroons for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool completely before serving. These can be made 3-4 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.  

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Serves 10

5 large eggs, room temperature
12oz. good quality semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli double chocolate chips)
1 1/3 cups sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup or 2 sticks butter (or margarine)
1 tbs. kahlua (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly coat a 9 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave (40-60 seconds). Add 1 cup of the sugar, vanilla, salt, and kahlua and mix together. Let cool slightly. Crack eggs into a separate bowl and beat them with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until tripled in volume. With a rubber spatula, fold chocolate mixture into eggs. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes. Torte will be a little loose in the center. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries if desired.  

Check back later this week for even more recipes you can make for Passover this year (remember - it's Monday April 18th!)